Every year since 1992, the Twin Cities International Citizen Awards have demonstrated that Minneapolis and St. Paul aren’t solely Minnesota cities, but global ones as well.
A program of the Twin Cities–based International Leadership Institute, the awards acknowledge the breadth and depth of Minnesota’s international ties. The International Leadership Institute’s mission is to provide partnerships in infrastructure, rule of law, and educational projects throughout the world that focus on people and nations that are moving from “developing world” to “developed world.”
Each year, three International Citizen Awards are given: the Immigrant Achievement Award, which recognizes a foreign-born Twin Citian’s contributions to global understanding; the International Citizen Award, which does the same for a U.S.–born resident; and the Corporate International Award, which celebrates a local company’s achievements. While any person or organization can be nominated, judges look at how a nominee’s work has contributed to international understanding, cooperation, friendship, and development.
